


Of Regret and Forgiveness

by UmbralJxrk



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 00:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14705283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmbralJxrk/pseuds/UmbralJxrk
Summary: Oneshot. Set in the Other Dimension. Mevolent has been defeated, but Serpine's victory is bittersweet.





	Of Regret and Forgiveness

Finally! After all these weeks, months, years! How had he longed for this moment of sweet, sweet victory. A wide grin crept on Serpine's face as he stepped close to his former master's corpse. Mevolent was laying on his back, eyes closed and mouth slightly agape. His infamous battle suit was bloodied and torn, while his mask laid shattered a few feet from him. The ridiculously huge sword that had impaled his lower torso made the scene complete. His own weapon had turned on him; now wasn't that just ironic?

And yet, as he gazed down on his former lovers face, Serpine could feel something trickling down his cheek. Expecting it to be blood, he frowned as he reached up and saw that the liquid coating his finger wasn't crimson but clear. A tear?

"Leave me." The short but clear command had his fellow rebels stop in their celebration. "Now." There was hesitation, but all it took was Harmony taking the first step of leaving the torn down area for the others to follow and clear the destroyed street for Serpine.

"I have wanted this for years." Even he himself wasn't sure if these murmurs were for him or the corpse. "I have dreamed of this every night. It seemed impossible, to kill you, you know. This is a miracle, a gift of the gods, if you will."

The resistance leader fell on his knees beside his fallen foe. More tears were streaming down his face now. "Why am I not happy?" A gloved hand came up to the bloodied face and moved it so he could look at him properly. He looked as if he was merely sleeping. Nefarian pressed his forehead against the others in silent grief. The corpse was still warm.

"You deserve t-this." His voice broke at the last syllable. Squeezing his eyes shut, he buried his face in the crock of his neck. Vaguely, he remembered how it had used to comfort him, yet he could find no relief this time. Soft sobbing emitted from the frail figure draped over Mevolent's chest and filled the lethal silence that surrounded the pair, threatening to suffocate him.

Suddenly he could feel a large hand running its fingers through his hair. Holding his breath, Serpine tensed up. This couldn't be-

"So you _do_ still love me."

Instantly Serpine pushed himself away from the taller man, who was already sitting up and pulling the sword out of his body. The gaping hole of flesh and bones healed with ease, leaving no trace and was only betrayed by the torn tunic.

Emerald eyes were starring wide and terrified. "T-this is impossible.... you're dead! I watched you die! The godkiller weapon-"

"I'm its owner. Are you really foolish enough to believe it would turn against me?" Mevolent chuckled, one hand reaching out to pull the petrified Adept close. "But that's not what's important right now."  
Serpine's jaws turned slack as realization hit him. "You were faking your own death, this was a trap..." This wasn't the first time he had felt so utterly powerless and exposed. Did anything he did really matter when every time he thought he had an advance it turned out to be no more than one of Mevolent's ploys.

"I was curious what you would do." With the other frozen in fear in confusion it was just too easy to cup his face, one thumb gently whipping the tears off the smaller's cheeks. Nefarian looked truly beautiful when he was crying. Smiling, Mevolent leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on his pets forehead.

"I don't love you." Serpine's heart sunk in his chest as his defiant words were met with a chuckle.

"Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?" His voice was soft and his touch gentle. But Nefarian didn't trust him. "You still love me as I still love you. Betraying me was a mistake you're either too proud or too stubborn to admit. What are you doing here, Nefarian? Among these heathens and mortal sympathizers. You don't belong here. You belong at my side."  
"You-"

"They hate you, Nefarian. They know as well as I do that you don't belong. In this very moment they are approaching with their weapons drawn, presumably to kill you."

Serpine shook his head in disbelieve. Sure, he hadn't made any friends during his time in the Resistance, but they still needed him. Right...?

"You're lying." Instead of answering Mevolent just starred at an empty side alley. Serpine followed his gaze and, sure enough, a few seconds later his fellow 'comrades' showed up, guns drawn and led by Harmony. They froze when they saw the warlord had seemingly returned from the dead. They had not known before-

"Fire! Now!!", Harmony barked, a wild look in her eyes as she pointed the barrel directly at Serpine. The air was filled with gun shots, yet not a single bullet hit the pair. Instead they floated mid-air, one mere inches away from the Adepts left eye. A lazy flick of Mevolents hand and the bullets turned against the rebels. Whoever wasn't granted a swift death by their own weapon was finished off by an exploded throat. This short... 'confrontation' was barely worth being called a fight.

It had all happened so fast and Serpine was left starring at the bloody carnage in front of him. They had not hesitated to try and kill him once they'd thought the tyrant dead. After all he had done they hadn't even given him to courtesy of a trial. Even Harmony...

His body sacked and he sank against Mevolent, allowing strong arms to hold him close. "I just want to go home."


End file.
